Protect, love, or hate?
by MimiALala
Summary: This happens a year after my other story, Pain and Surprises. Reen and her life, well, it's finally coming together. She's about to be an official SHIELD agent, her two best friends are about to get married, and life is good. Until Hydra comes into the picture, that is...
1. Chapter 1

The wind is rushing past my face at such a high speed that I think my hair might come undone, if it weren't tucked into a helmet, that is. Sure, I've got a therapy session in ten minutes, but when your choices are ride an airbike or sit with some therapist for an hour, I'd rather be on an airbike.  
My com crackles to life and I groan.  
"Agent Sutton!"  
"Yessir?"  
"You're going to be late. Again."  
"It gives dorky dude something to sit through."  
"You have five minutes to get in there."  
"With all due respect sir, I'm not enjoying these sessions."  
"I don't care if you are. You're going to do them."  
Director Fury's mind is made up on this, I guess. Aggghhhh.  
I park on the roof and pull off my helmet. The three guys who are on duty stop what they're doing and stare. Awkward...  
Then again, I'm wayyyy younger than these newbies. Still, it's awkward.  
I walk to the elevator and punch in my access code. Then I pull out my phone and start frantically texting Clint.

_**Me:**__ help me!  
__**Birdbrain:**__ with what?  
__**Me:**__ therapy session. I need an injury and fast!  
__**Birdbrain:**__ no can do Kid.  
__**Me:**__ I'll die of boredom! X(  
__**Birdbrain:**__ I'm not on the Helicarrier.  
__**Me:**__ what  
__**Birdbrain: **__mission.  
__**Me:**__ postcard?  
__**Birdbrain:**__ maybe. If you don't die of boredom  
__**Me:**__ haha very funny  
__**Birdbrain:**__ I thought so.  
_  
The message comes in as the elevator stops. The doors open and this week's session is about to start. Yippee.  
The certified idiot is taller than me, with grey hair and he always wears a suit. He's only thirty-something, but his appearance is that of an old guy.  
Uuuuggggghhhh.  
I sit in the provided chair and stare at the carpet. He sits in the plushy chair across from me.  
"Maureen, how are you feeling?" He asks and I give a semi-cryptic answer.  
"Like a person?"  
"In general or in a specific way?"  
"Both, I guess."  
"I see. Well, your file says that you've managed to keep a roommate for a year now."  
"And?"  
"Isn't that a good thing?"  
"Yeah."  
"Of course."  
This continues for an hour. Blah.  
By the end of the session, he's broken three pencils. That's progress. Last week he broke five. As I leave the room, there's several noises that sound like ripping paper.  
I think he's going to need therapy after this.

After I've climbed on the elevator, my phone starts ringing like crazy.  
Let's see... Fury, Clint, Natasha, Zach, annoying roommate and Stark all at once. Let's go with Zach.  
I answer the call and put the earpiece to my ear.  
"Hey Zach."  
"Wanna do something this weekend?"  
"Like what? If its hacking Jarvis, no."  
Zach starts laughing.  
"Nothing like that. I was wondering if maybe you would possibly like to go to a.."  
"A what, Zach?"  
"Maybe go to a party with me?"  
What? A party? Why's he inviting me? I'm sure there's cuter girls out there..  
"Um-uh-ah-yeah. Sure, I'll go." I mumble and I swear I can hear his smile.  
"Great! I'll pick you up at eight on Saturday. Bye!"  
"See you then."  
He hangs up and a text comes through.  
_**Fury: **__Training room D. Three minutes._  
By now, the other calls have ended. Great. Oh well. Hey, wait. Three minutes?! I draw my knife and pry open the control panel, only to discover twenty different colored wires. Erm... Maybe Clint knows which one the safety mechanism is...  
_**Me: **__I know ur busy, but which wire in the elevators is the safety?  
__**Birdbrain:**__ purple I think. Kid what r u up 2?  
__**Me: **__you'll c. Tell Nat hi for me._

I slice through the purple wire and drop about five feet before slowing. This wire stops it. Okay.  
Level B...  
Level C...  
Level D.. Now!  
I jump right as the elevator box hits the floor. Oohhh. Painful.  
The doors open and I start running to the training room. What the heck?  
This hall is usually empty. Now, it's full of people, boxes, crates, trays, piping, spare parts and other junk.  
Two minutes left.  
I start running, shoving, jumping and even parcouring across everything.  
Minute and a half left.  
"Watch it kid!" Some idiot yells as I run past.  
"You watch it dude!" I retort and keep running  
Minute left.  
I reach the door and punch in a code. It opens slowly.  
Half a minute left.  
I walk in and see... the Avengers? What is going on around here?  
I barely have time to process that thought before Thor throws Mjolnir at me. I dodge it easily and move as Iron Man shoots at me. Captain America comes at me and starts fighting with me. **Thwack!** I hit his nose and see blood start dripping. As we fight, Thor and Iron Man keep their assault going. Out of nowhere, Hulk jumps in. I move at just the right moment and he hits Cap. One down, three left. Stark lands in front of me and gets a knife in his chest repulsor. His suit powers down, with him still in it. Two down. Thor and Hulk are still active. That's a problem. Thor grabs my arm and swoops into the air. I switch my knife to my other hand and stick it into the hand holding his hammer. Then I kick him in the ribs and drop onto the Hulk. This-_whoa_-was not in the-_ouch_-plan. I wrap my legs and arms around his neck. If I can hold this for a bit, he'll pass out from lack of air. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three-**THUD**!  
Yeah. Soon, I'm sitting on Bruce Banner's head. I stand, pleased that that's over, but something's not right. It was way too easy. As if to prove me right, an arrow flies past my head. There's a postcard stuck on it.  
"Special delivery." Clint says with that smirk of his.  
"Wrong address." I shoot back. The arrow starts smoking and I cough. Ack! Smoke arrow!  
I cover my mouth and nose, then start scanning my surroundings. There's a pipe. Not gonna cut it. But I have an idea. I run to where Cap lays and grab his shield. An arrow glances off it almost immediately. Where's the stupid... Yep. Got it!  
I run to the pipe and slam the shield against it as hard as I can. An irritated Natasha pops out. Her balance is now off, by like a millimeter. But that's all I need. I swing the shield at her and she grabs it. The air fills with the smell of electricity. I release the shield and an arrow hits it. _Zzzzaaaapppp._ One left. Clint charges at me and I intercept. As we fight, I'm impressed at how calm he's being.  
"So, how was the mission?"  
"Coulda been better."  
"Didja win?"  
"Do I need to answer?"  
I chuckle and hit his solar plexus. Ooh. Painful.  
He parries my next blow and I narrow my eyes.  
Head, arm, hold him in a choke hold.  
I move and he moves accordingly. But my blows still hit home.  
I grab his throat and he flips me across his shoulder. I swing my feet under him and spring up as he falls.  
"Have a nice trip?" I ask as I step on his arm.  
"Actually, yeah. You?" He says and drags me onto the floor. I stab his shirt to the floor and stand up. I win. Hey wait a second. I just took down the Avengers. I'm only 17. A whole army of Chitauri couldn't do it. Neither could Hydra, Skrulls, or any single super villain. So how did I do it? They certainly didn't go easy on me. The only sound for a few minutes is Stark's really creative swearing coming from inside the suit. I guess he doesn't believe it either.  
"Well done, Agent." Director Fury's voice starts to come from the intercom and I stand there, astonished. I actually did that. Um, wow.  
Banner's waking up, as is Rogers. Natasha's gonna be fine. Thor's bleeding, but fine. Clint's in the best shape of all. Stark's trapped, and it's gonna take a lot to get him out.  
Fury walks in, surveys the damage, looks at me, nods and walks back out.  
What?!  
He did what?!  
"Kid. Help me up." Clint says and tugs at the knife.  
I lean down and pull the knife out easily.  
"You guys weren't going easy on me, right?" I ask and he shakes his head.  
"I wasn't. No clue if the others were."  
"Good."  
The others are still as they were. So I turn and run out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

The elevator's still out, so I'm running up the stairs.  
My eyes are hot with tears, and I'm not sure why. I barely have any injuries, my mental health is fine and I really don't feel any particular emotion or anything.  
I stop and catch my breath while Thor comes running up behind me.  
"Maiden Maureen?"  
"Leave me alone."  
"You fought well! Why are you sorrowful?"  
I turn and look at him. "I don't know! I don't feel anything. I beat you guys and I don't feel anything! Why?"  
I must sound like Loki or something because he grabs my shoulders and starts shaking. "Listen! You fight well. You are a strong young woman, able to defend herself against the likes of my brother. Do not let past experiences bring you down, lest they destroy you. Go out and grab the bilgesnipe by the horns, eh?"  
He stops shaking me, and I try to make all four Thors become one.  
As soon as I am able to, I open my mouth and ask "Um.. What's a bilgesnipe?" "It's sort of like your reindeer, only larger and covered in scales." "O-okay?"  
- After that fun little bit of advice, I'm flopped on my bed, thinking, when Claire bursts in.  
"Sooooo, how was your conversation with Zach?"  
"How do you know about that?"  
"We work for a spy agency. Anyhow, how was it?"  
"Just fine, Claire." I say with a tone that _should_ make it clear that she should shut up. But it doesn't.  
"You're sooooooo lucky to have Zach for a boyfriend. He's a cutie. But not as cute as Benjamin. When's this party?"  
_Okay. Maureen, Fury said no more stabbing roommates. No. Stabbing. Roommates._  
"I don't know if I even want to go. Now back off." I growl.  
"Wait! You told him you would go. So you are!"  
"Back off!"  
"Sheesh. Can't blame a girl for trying." I glare at her, stand, then walk to my fridge. Sushi time. I pick out the spiciest variety and grab my chopsticks. _Fury may have said no stabbing, but what about wasabi poisoning? That's not forbidden... Or is it?_ I can't believe I'm even considering getting rid of her. It's hard to break in a roommate. And I've had her for an entire year. A whole year. And they only get more annoying as they go...  
Nah. I'm gonna keep her. Unless she doesn't shut up.  
My phone buzzes and I look at the message.  
**Tasha: **You okay, kid?  
How do I respond? Say I'm upset and risk sounding like a kid. Say I'm confused, sound stupid. Say I'm fine and she'll think I'm dumb. **Tasha**: I'm coming over. Claire should be leaving soon-ish.  
**Me: **:-/  
Not five minutes later, Claire's phone goes off. She glances at it, gasps, and runs from the room. Whatever Natasha did must be... Well, I don't even want to know.  
There's a light tap on the door.  
"Kiddo? You still in there?"  
"No. I jumped out the window and joined the circus." I say, my voice dripping sarcasam.  
"Well that was dumb. I'm coming in."  
"Fine." She opens the door and I lay backwards on my bed.  
"What's wrong?" She asks, as if it's that simple.  
"Everything and nothing."  
"Is that supposed to be cryptic?"  
"No."  
She looks me over, sees my food and the state of my bed, then nods.  
"This is partly because of a boy, right?"  
"Does everyone on this freaking helicarrier know about that?! She's going to wake up with a knife in her sternum one of these days!" I scream and bury my face in the pillows to die.  
"No. We don't all know about your roommate's impending doom. I am a girl, okay? Give me some credit."  
"Yeah." I mutter, but through the pillow, it's barely audible.  
"So what's up with you and Zach?"  
"Nothing..." Natasha leans down and pulls the pillow off my face.  
"Okay. Zach invited me to a party on Saturday. I don't know if I want to go, or if I should, or-"  
She frowns. "Kiddo, you're going. You need to be a normal kid, without all the hassle of your life."  
"Yeah. Like that's gonna happen."  
"It will. And I might have a way to reduce it even more."  
I raise my eyebrow, silently daring her to say what I think she's gonna say.  
"If we move you to Avengers tower, you might-"  
"No. That means living with the Avengers. Which means Stark. Which means Zach. No!"  
"-actually have less stress than before." She finishes, small pout appearing on her lips.  
I stab my mattress with a chopstick and wonder how that's less stress.  
She stands and walks to my dresser, then begins throwing random clothes at me. Jeans. Peasant blouse. Brown boots. What?  
"Put these on, then I'm going to do your makeup." She says and smiles.  
"Why?"  
"Because I said so." I put on the outfit and sit back on my bed.  
She brings out my small stash of makeup. The only reason I even have that is because it was a Christmas present.  
She starts working, muttering to herself about various things, my hair included.  
All this does not make for a happy girl.  
When she finally stops, I'm happy.  
She tells me to close my eyes and stand up.  
I do, and she walks me to the mirror.  
When I open my eyes, I'm surprised at my appearance. Holy. Crap. Is that really me? I'm... Pretty.  
She spins me, then suddenly stops and starts looking through my knives.  
She hands me a small ceramic one and shoves me out the door.  
As I walk the halls, everyone's looking at me differently.  
It's nice.  
When I get to the roof, Clint's standing by my bike.  
His jaw almost hits the floor when he sees me.  
"Reen? You look... Different." He says, after picking his jaw up off the floor.  
"Yeah. Natasha did it."  
"I... Wow... Um.."  
"Can I get on my bike? It's not like I have all the time in the world." I say and climb on, pulling on my very bright purple helmet.  
He nods and steps back a few feet.  
Here comes the fun part. I activate the back thrusters and ride forward, picking up speed. Edge of the roof is coming fast.  
Here's something you should know about air-bikes. If you're going to ride off of something taller than, oh say, ten feet, you have to have velocity. Otherwise you go splat. And I've got the added challenge of these pesky things called turbine engines.  
Think of a leaf. Leaf falls to the ground. But if it goes through a fan... Eeesh. Bad image.  
Here comes the drop!  
"WHHHOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOHOOOOO!"  
And back up again.


	3. Chapter 3

**_"Pardon me, miss Sutton, but there's an incoming call from mister Stark."_**  
Really? Of all the times to call, he picks now?  
Well, he can't be blamed. I *did* allow JARVIS to say that every time Zach calls.  
I ignore it and soar through the air, whooping and hollering.  
When I land on Avengers Tower, Zach's airbike is gone. Good. I sooo can't deal with him right now.  
Instead, I run to the elevator and climb inside. It takes me to the ground floor, where I climb out onto the busy street. I lose myself in the crowd, always aware of my surroundings.  
Eventually I return.  
Preparations for something is underway. Lots of streamers and ribbons are everywhere. Hmm... Purple and black. Either someone died, there's a witch-y party, or...  
Crap! The bridal shower!  
Total facepalm moment. Urrgghh.  
Well, maybe that's tomorrow?  
But why'd she send me off, if she knew I was going to forget?  
Unless... It was planned. Totally planned.

I quietly sneak in, but am caught almost immediatly by one of Mrs. Stark's friends.  
"Oh, who's this now? Natalie, is this one of your... friends?" She asks in a southern accent.  
"Yeah. Kid, you're late. Where have you been?" Nat asks, only sounding mildly purturbed.  
I stammer something that's supposed to sound like "nowhere" but comes out an inteligble whisper.  
Nat looks at me, understanding. Well, at least I'm not too late. Things could be a lot worse.  
And then Zach walks in. Carrying a plate of snacks. Oh gosh, this is embarrassing. I blush.  
Things just got way worse.  
"Reen?" Zach asks, making me turn redder than the southern lady's hair dye.  
Several of the ladies chuckle, but not Mrs. Stark or Natasha.  
They feel my pain.  
"I... I'm going... bathroom." I stammer and run from the room.  
Zach follows, then stops as his mom calls for him.

_Pleaseohpleaseohpleasetellmethatnoneofthosejerkfacedladiesaregoingtobepartofthewedding!_

I manage to compose myself and head back to the living room.  
Just outside the door, I hear several of the ladies talking about Nat, and me.  
"Well, I don't know _why_ she's making that little waif part of the wedding."  
"And such a large role too. _I_ wouldn't ever do such a thing."  
"It's not like she's the brightest bulb in the box, either. I mean, marrying a circus performer!"  
"Former or not, that sort of man aren't the most dependable."

EXCUSE ME?! That sort of man? What in the heck are they saying? That Clint is un-dependable? Uh, I don't think so, Lucy.  
I walk in.  
"What's this about my best friends being a doomed match?" I demand.  
"Well, I suppose you're too young to-" Southern lady starts.  
"Too young to what? Understand? No, I get it. You think you can waltz in here, _their_ home, insult them behind their backs, and then smile and wave like nothing has been said? No. If you're going to insult _their _judgement, at least have the balls to do it to their face. This is not your wedding, I am not some 'waif' and Clint is the _most_ dependable person I have ever known. Natalie is smarter than twenty of you put together. I really do not think that you're a nice person, so why are you even here? Now, leave. Before I open a window and make you."  
I say with this really creepy smile, making half of them jump up and run for the door.  
But not Southern lady and her lackeys. No, she stands, drawing herself up to her height of 4'9. Am I supposed to be scared?  
_Dude, I'm like, so much taller than you. _"_You're not even an adult_.  
What gives _you_ the right to talk to _me_ that way?" She demands.  
"Lady, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. You're about as mature as a toddler." I reply.  
"And this isn't your home, your marrage or even your family." She bites back.  
"No. It's not. But they're the closest thing I've ever had to a family. So back the heck off." She frowns, then grabs her purse and walks out the door.  
Her followers do so too.  
I'm not entirely sure, but I do tend to have that effect on people.  
Natasha walks back in, a tray of cookies in hand.  
"Kid? What'd you do?" She asks, making me smile sheepishly.  
"Erm... Chased out the riff-raff?" I say.  
"Good." What? That's... Good?  
"I couldn't figure out how to get them to leave without offending anyone." She says and throws me a cookie.  
"Now, don't tell Pepper why they left. Jarvis will probably do it for you."  
"Yeah, he will. Hey, Jarvis?" I call.  
**"Yes, Miss Sutton?"**  
"Cue music, if you please!"

He starts playing music that's old, but extremely cool. One Republic, Owl City, Harry Connick, Jr. Other stuff like that.  
Yep, it's the good stuff.  
And it's my and Zach's favorite music.  
Argh. Zach. Just... Zach. Why in the world am I in love with a multibillionare genius' son? It's so unlikely, but cliche that it makes me want to tear my hair out in frustration. And yet, I really can't help it. He's so.. So.. So Zach.  
And right at the end of Counting Stars, he walks in. Just very sad puppyishly. And then he smiles.  
Nat's phone rings. It's Clint's ringer too.  
So she walks into the kitchen to take the call, leaving us alone.  
He walks closer, as if afraid that I'll bite.  
"So, um.. About Friday.." He starts.  
"Yeah?"  
"You don't have to go, you know?" He says, a little sadly.  
"Well, I want to." I say, bringing back that smile.  
"Dad told me what happened this morning. And called you names. But he agreed that if I were hanging out with anyone, he'd prefer it to be you."  
"Yeah. He can really get creative with those words, can't he?" I mutter, laughing.  
Zach nods. "You should've seen him a few weeks ago.. My report card came. Jeesh. That was _not_ a happy day."  
"No, no it probably wasn't."

The song changes early, into an Owl City song.

_There I was again tonight  
Forcing laughter, faking smiles  
Same old tired lonely place  
Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes in vacancy  
Vanished when I saw your face  
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you_

Zach rolls his eyes at Jarvis' choice of music.  
"Well, since the song's playing, do you want to... dance?" He asks.  
I nod and he takes my hand.

_Your eyes whispered "have we met?"  
Across the room your sillouette starts to make its way to me  
The playful conversation starts  
Counter all your quick remarks like passing notes in secrecy  
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you  
Oh, Taylor, I was so enchanted to meet you_

At first, there's a lot of foot stomping. And then there's not.

_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go _  
_I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home _  
_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew _  
_I was enchanted to meet you too_

Surprisingly, Zach's a great dancer. Me, on the other hand.. Not so much.

_The lingering question kept me up _  
_Two AM, who do you love? _  
_I wonder till I'm wide awake. _  
_And now I'm pacing back and forth _  
_Wishing you were at my door I'd open up and you would say _  
_Hey, it was enchanting to meet you_  
_Oh, Taylor, I was so enchanted to meet you too_

We spin into the coolest slow dance ever, just barely moving with the tempo. And we smile. Lots of smiling.

_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go _  
_I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home _  
_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you too_

And we twirl. Spinning onward, like a fairytale. Beautifully dancing, just perfectly. Zach's wonderful at this.

_And this is me praying that _  
_This was the very first page, _  
_Not where the storyline ends _  
_My thoughts will echo your name untill I see you again _  
_These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon _  
_I was enchanted to meet you too_

He twirls me perfectly, sending my hair flying. Am I blushing? Probably. Do I care? Nope.

_Please don't be in love with someone else _  
_Please don't have somebody waiting on you _  
_Please don't be in love with someone else _  
_Please don't have somebody waiting on you_

And then we get all close and my face is barely inches from his as we dance.

_This night is sparkling, don't you let it go _  
_I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home _  
_I'll spend forever wondering if you knew_

Awkward, yes. Adorable, yep. Zach and I are in perfect sync.

_This night is flawless, don't you let it go _  
_I'm wonderstruck, dancing 'round all alone _  
_Taylor, I'll spend my whole life wondering if you knew _  
_I was enchanted to meet you too_

Spinning, twirling. He lifts me up as we spin in a slow circle. His smile is so wonderful.

_I was never in love with someone else _  
_I never had somebody waiting on me _  
_Cause you were all of my dreams come true _  
_And I just wish you knew _  
_Taylor, I was so in love with you_

And as the song ends our faces end up inches apart.  
And then someone starts clapping.  
We turn abruptly, shocked and embarrassed at the same time.  
Oh dear gosh.  
It's the rest of the Avengers. And they're looking highly amused.


	4. Chapter 4

Well, all of them except for Steve are amused. He's sad looking. A single tear rolls down his cheek, which he quickly wipes away.

Zach and I look down at our hands, which we're still holding tightly, and then quickly let go.

"Well, I... I've gotta go.. See you Saturday." Zach says and does this happy skip/walk thing across the room.

Tony, as soon as his kid's left the room, starts glaring at me.

"You... Little turd-muffin." He mutters and walks away.

Clint nods and walks toward the kitchen, Bruce following close behind. Only Steve stays, gazing off into his memories.

I wonder who he's thinking of, what with that look on his face. It's obivously a girl, but there's no one who would fit that. Maybe, just maybe there was a girl before he crashed into the ice.. That has to be it. Otherwise, I'd have heard about her. He would have told me. He's told me about his past, but never about any girl.

I guess he'll tell me if he wants to, but I won't pry.

I walk out of the room, humming the song as I go.

Yaaaawn... Stupid alarm clock.

Wait. That's not my alarm clock. That's the shipwide alarm.

Uh-oh.

We're falling.

I fall out of my bed, pull on my boots. Then I grab my knife and run for the door. Claire's sitting upright, screaming. Stupid logistics division. They only take a basic combat class, whereas espionage and intervention have to train hard.

Actually, no. Logistics train just as hard as everybody else.

Ack! We're tilting.

"Claire?! Come on, I actually need you for once!" I yell, and she stops screaming. "Good. Now pull on some pants, and your boots. Get your gear, and come on!"

She does so, shaking the whole time.

I can't say I blame her, because the emergency red lights are on. Those wouldn't come on if we were simply crashing. No. We're being invaded. By whom, I'm not yet sure.

Wait. Claire's not thinking. She needs her gun. And she left it in her dresser.

I turn and grab it for her, also grabbing my jumpsuit. Claire's already in hers, so I pull it on over my pajamas, then strap my belt on, slipping my only pistol into the holster.

Then we burst out of the door, running past half-opened doors, injured agents, smoking wreakage. Claire's freaking out, but all this is similar to me.

In fact, when I see the gaping hole in the side of the helicarrier, I know exactly who the invaders are.

"Maureen? How are we going to get through? Where are we going? Are we-" She begins, but a loud clanging noise cuts her off.

Ohhhhh crap.

I motion towards the rungs that are going across the roof. "Claire! Monkey bars. Go to the bridge, get into the system. Help get the engines going. I'm right behind you. Go now!" I whisper and help her grab the rungs going across the hole.

She frantically climbs across, trying hard not to fall.

However, I'm not going with her. I run towards the noise. It's coming from the vault. They're trying to get the tech.

I've got to stop them. That tech in the wrong hands could very well mean the demolition of all of New York.

Hopefully, I'm not going to be alone.

Once I'm there, there's five other agents, trying hard to protect the tech. They're outnumbered. Twelve HYDRA agents are fighting against my guys.

Luckily, they left the door open, unguarded. And I've got clear shots.

BLAMM-BLAMM-BLAMM!

Three down, nine to go.

They turn to me, shooting. Ah, why can't these guys aim for once? They're going to get hit by my guys. Which is exactly what happens.

But only four get downed.

Five are still left.

One charges at me, the rest at my guys.

I draw my knife, and we get into a viscious fight.

He kicks me in the ribs. That hurts. Like, ouch.

I slice at thin air, but only because the jerk is fast.

Hit, knee, duck.

And he moves. We get into the hallway, where he's shoving me towards the gaping hole. Ooh, the sun's rising. Maybe I can use that against him-WHOA!

He kicks me right to the edge, where I grab his collar and pull him as close as I am. We're leaning over the edge, but I'm less balanced. I'm wobbling, but I fight him. He tries to shoot me, but misses. The sun is at just the right point... I pull my knife up and the sunlight's glare blinds my opponent. He yells and yanks my hair back, throwing me even more off balance. I hit him, but he finally gets me off the edge.

I am not going to go without a fight.

I grab his boot on the way down, and he falls too.

I manage to grab the edge and hang on.

Crap, he's holding onto my legs.

I can't hold on... much longer.

Hey! He's got his hand in places it should not be. I let go with my left hand, and start hitting him in the face.

Wow. How is he still holding on? I've had enough of this.

I use my knife, stab him in the arm.

He drops back down to my legs.

And I kick. Kicking and hitting. Yes, because that's working.

So I throw my knife at his face and he lets go.

"Great. That was my favorite knife, too." I mutter and try to climb back up. Nope. Not going to be able to get up. I'll fall.

Right then, I see someone's boots in front of me.

Is that... Iron Man?

He grabs my hands and pulls me up.

Awkward.

"Erm... Thanks?" I say, but it's more of a question than a statement.

"Yeah. It's the least I could do." He says. "Who're they? Why're they here?"

"Hydra. Not sure why."

He nods, then jumps over the gap.

I jump up and grab the rungs, climbing across, then landing on my sore legs.

Ahhhhhh. That hurts.

I run after the glowing lights of Iron Man's boots. They're so bright compared to these dark halls.

Eventually we reach the bridge. And it's a war zone.

Agent Hill's holding her dominant arm. I can't see Claire. Oh, no.

Her boots are visible behind a computer station. And they're not moving.

No. Not possible. She-she can't be. No. No! She's gotta be pretending. She can't be.. Ah! I'm being shot at. I duck and cover behind stations, running to where she lays.

She doesn't move. Not when I grab her arm, not even when I curse under my breath. She's big on not swearing.

There's a bright red stain covering her front.

NO. She isn't. She can't be.

All of a sudden, silence falls. We've won. But it doesn't seem like it. Not to me.

I find myself sobbing. Claire. She's got to be alive. She can't be dead. No. Nononono.

She's got to be pretending.

"C'mon! Wake up! Quit pretending!" I frantically whisper. "Claire. C'mon, you've got to open your eyes. Wake up! Wake up! Claire!"

And I collapse on her. Sobbing.

This cannot be happening. She was. No, is alive. She's my friend. She can't be. Just last night she was teasing me about Zach.

What have I done?

"I'm so sorry! Just open your damn eyes! Please! Just wake up! No! You're not supposed to die! Wake up! Wake up!" I can't stop. "Tell me how stupid I was! Yell at me! Scream! Just wake up! Wake up!"

I feel strong arms behind me, pulling me off of her.

"NO! LET ME GO! LETMEGO! CLAIRE!" I'm screaming now. Tony still holds me. Even when I kick him between the legs. He's still holding me.

"Kid, she's gone."

"NO! SHE'S NOT GONE! She can't be! Please! No! Claire!"

"She's not coming back. You tried." He says.

I'm hitting and kicking, biting, screaming. Anything to be released.

"TONY, LET ME GO! TONYLETMEGO! NO! NO!"

"Kid! She is gone!"

"NO!"

Tony holds me until I can't scream anymore. Then he lets me fall to the ground. I lay there, crying, sobbing patheticaly.

And then I feel strong arms lifting me up to standing. Not Tony. Clint.

He takes me to the Medical Bay.

Apparently, I've got a broken rib, and a sprained ankle. There's a bruise the exact shape of an heart across all of my left side. My face is torn up from hanging off the helicarrier.

But I don't care. I can't feel it.

Clint and the doctor talk for a bit, then Clint helps me up.

Apparently, I'm in shock. Or so they say. But all I feel is guilt. I should not have sent her to the bridge. She'd still be here. It's my fault.

It is all my fault.

And I'm still crying.

She was the one person who withstood my wrath. My antics. My hatred for all things girly. And now, she's gone.

Claire is gone.

My friend is gone.

Clint avoids my quarters, taking me to Nat's quarters instead.

I'm numb. He murmurs something, lays me on Nat's bed, then leaves. I just lay there, in my bloody jumpsuit and cry.

Eventually Nat comes and sits by the bed.

"Kid? Do you want a clean jumpsuit?" She asks me.

I don't respond. Or move. I just lay there.

She kneels on the floor so she can see my face.

"Kid. It is not your fault. No matter what you think, it isn't your fault. Believe me, it's not." She says, brushing my hair away from my face.

I start crying again.

"It's my fault entirely, Natasha! If-If I hadn't told her to go, she'd have been safe! She'd be alive!" I sob, curling into a ball.

"No. Shhh. Shh. It's not your fault. She knew the risk of being an agent. She knew."

"But I told her to go! She never would have otherwise!"

"Stop. Just stop. It is not your fault."

I can't stop crying. I can't.

I close my eyes, trying to block out everything.

Eventually I fall asleep. But it's not a deep sleep for long. I can still hear the things going on around me. Clint and Natasha talking, Tony arguing. Director Fury interjecting, trying not to yell.

I wonder if they know I'm not really sleeping that deeply. I can hear them clearly.

And then they stop. Just very suddenly.

Clint puts his hand on my arm.

"No. She's not going anywhere."

"She needs to be removed from the helicarrier. Barton, that's what she needs."

"You aren't giving her back to her aunt."

"I can, and if I need to, I will. It was a mistake to bring her aboard. And an even bigger one to consider her for the intiative."

"Over my dead body. You're not ripping her from the only family she has, to place her with a woman who detests her. I'm with Legolas on this one."

"For once, we're on the same page. And the others would say that too. You can't."

"She is a child! You saw what happened today! What happened last year! I cannot let her be in this organization knowing that it could happen again!"

"A month, and she won't be a child. One month. And after that, she can choose."

"And until then, what would you have me do with her? Keep her here? She's already blaming herself for what happened today."

There's a pause.

"I told you. We're moving her into the tower tomorrow."

My eyelids flutter, making everyone fall silent again.

"Patchy, you need to leave. Now."

"Stark, get off of my helicarrier."

"Give the kid a break. Let her be a kid. Fall in love. Make mistakes."

Fury sighs in exasperation, then stomps out of the room. I can hear him doing it. The door slams shut.

Then the closet door opens.

"You can come out now." Stark says.

There are familiar footsteps, and sighing.

And then the door opens and shuts again. Almost everyone has gone, but still one remains. He sits on the foot of the bed, staying perfectly still.

I open my eyes the tiniest bit, only to see Zach, sitting there, a lone sunflower in his hands.

He's sad.

The way his shoulders are hunched, that's how I know.

He sits there, but then suddenly turns to me.

He's extremely distraught. And not just over me, or the condition of his dad's arms...

"I knew her," He says after a minute or two. "Claire, I mean."

I'm speechless.

"She was one of the agents sent to the Tower last year. Remember how my dad asked Fury for help beefing up the security? She was one of the agents to come and help. And we got to talking. Turns out, she was your roommate. And she was the one to ignore Fury's orders and tell me how you were doing. Apparently, I wasn't supposed to know how you were. And Claire wanted me to know. I couldn't believe my luck. Every week, she'd send me an update. I'm going to miss her. She was a good person."

Aww, man. I'm crying again.

Zach scoops me up and cradles me softly.

After a while the tears stop. And the whole cradling thing gets really awkward.

Zach sets me back down and lays the sunflower on top of my hands. They clumsily twist around it, but before I can look at it, memorize its details; Zach's gone.

He's sorta a ninja that way.

The next couple of hours are a blur. Sleep, wake up, cry. Sleep-cry-wake up. It's a neverending cycle.

In the afternoon, after I've actually woken up, Clint and Natasha help me into their quinjet with my meager belongings. They fly it to the tower, where I'm apparently going to stay for now.

I'm sharing a floor with them, but my room is massive. I'm impressed. Well, sort of.

This'd be a lot better with Claire.

Of course, everything would be better with Claire. But that's the way the cookie crumbled.

The walls are a light purple, the trim appears to be painted dark purple. My bathroom's a teal/turquoise color.

The doors are all chocolate brown.

Everything is cool, I've even got a kitchenette. None of it's bland or colorless, but it makes me sad.

The only upside is that I don't have a roommate anymore. That's the downside, too.

Clint carries in the last box and sets it down.

Twelve boxes in all.

After I'm unpacked, Natasha disappears for a while.

Clint shows me around and shows me how to work Jarvis. Like I didn't already know.

I nod, trying to take in the last day and a half.

It's hard, but I'll be okay, I think.


	5. Chapter 5

Twelve and a half days, post Helicarrier invasion

"Jarvis, run that search against all mentions of Hydra. And Shield needs to be included in that. Hack 'em, buddy." I mumble, swallowing a piece of day old pizza in about two bites.

"Miss Sutton, are you sure you want me to run that particular search at this time?"

I roll my eyes at that. "No, I want you to walk it off of a cliff. Just run the search, okay?"

I've done nothing but search for clues about Hydra for the past twelve days. Anything could be Hydra. And despite the great job Steve and Natasha did of taking them down in 2014, it just wasn't enough.

They've taken over almost all of the intelligence in the world.

And I'm really not helping Shield's cause with my hacking, but I don't care.

My apartment is super amazing, like they made it for me in advance.

The only reason I've been searching so much is that Stark banned me from all the training rooms until I'm all healed up. Literally. Like, if I go too close, alarms go off and a ten feet steel slab drops down in front of the door.

I wonder who's behind that, exactly?

"Miss Sutton, I've run the search."

"And?"

"I'm almost 46.3 percent sure that Hydra is planning something."

Finally.

"Where at?"

"Bangkok, Thailand."

Jarvis usually isn't wrong, but he's got his moments.

So I run the search myself.

Same results.

"Um, you don't happen to know when, do you?" I ask, hoping he'll say yes, but he doesn't.

Eventually, searching gets boring, so I pull up a list of recommended movies and TV shows on the Shield database.

A really old one called Firefly pops up, based on my browsing history.

I watch something like four episodes in one sitting.

It's that good.

Thirty and three quarters days, post Helicarrier invasion.

I finished the entire series of Firefly in a month. Dang, that was short. It was intense, though.

I'm going to go out for a bit, but for now, it's nap time.

When I wake up, there's a note on my kitchen counter. And cookies! Ohh, they're homemade!

After half the cookies are gone, I read the note.

**_So, by any chance, do you wanna maybe go see a flik and grab some noms? _**

I know that handwriting. And the speech pattern. Zachary Stark, who writes like there's no tomorrow.

I dash to my closet, screeching when I trip and fall into the door at top speed.

I dig through my clothes, looking for something suitable that isn't covered in rips or stains. Finally I find something, but I've never seen it before.

It's... beautiful.

A sleeveless light grey dress, with a purple tie belt. Matching ballet flats are in a shoebox by the door.

Nat must've put it there.

I put it aside, find a different outfit, and braid back my hair.

Okay, almost ready.

I grab a small bag out of a box and put a knife, among other things, into it.

Now, after another cookie, I walk out the door.

Zach's waiting by the airbikes. He throws me my bright turquoise helmet and puts his fire red one on. We climb onto his bike, and fwoosh, we're off.

After watching the latest Terminator movie, which we both enjoyed, we head to some fancyish restaurant. Zach made me put on a blindfold, so I'm only able to guess where we're heading.

That is the only disadvantage to airbiking. If you're blindfolded, you can't tell where you're going, just when you turn. Also, turbulance sucks.

We land gently, and he helps me off. I have the smallest idea of where we could be. Zach helps me off the bike, and towards something.

"Table for two, please," Zach says.

"Right this way, sir."

We're led, well, _I'm _led forward towards a table. Zach can actually see where he's going.

He lets go of my entire ribcage and then I can hear the shuffling of a chair moving.

"Here, lemme help you," Zach says, helping me down into the chair, and then he unties my blindfold.

Boys make no sense whatsoever.

We're at The Attic, or so I think. The Attic is a super casual/fancy restaurant that opened up three years ago. I've heard about it from Clint.

"Zach, was the blindfold really nesassary?" I ask, blinking at the sudden flood of light to my retinas.

"Not really, no. But it did make you think, did it not?"

I smirk at his dorkish reasoning.

"I'm always thinking. But nice touch."

I order Gluten Free, and he orders Dairy Free.

Both are delicious, as is the dessert.

As we eat, we chatter about various things.

Zach tells a hilarious story about a guy who tried to follow him around for a month.

I tell him about the time I hacked the menu and turned every meal into sushi for a week.

He and I keep this up until we're done eating.

After we're done, and we've left, we go for a lazy flight.

Zach's driving is better than mine ever could be.

I snuggle into his back, holding onto him securely.

There's no words between us, but that's okay.

The stars are out, and they're twinkling brightly.

When we land at the tower, Zach walks me to the elevator, and all the way to my apartment. At the door, he leans down and kisses my forehead. Then I say good night, and tiptoe inside.

I flop onto the couch and fall asleep.

Around two or three in the morning, there's a sharp knock on the door.

I groggily blink awake, and pull the stray hairs out of my mouth.

If it were Clint, he'd just walk in. Heck, if it were _any_ of the Avengers, they'd just walk in. Not an Avenger, then. Shield? But what are they doing here at this time of night?

I stand up and rub the sleep out of my eyes, then reach for my spare knife belt.

My light-duty boots are still on my feet. That'd explain why my feet are so sore.

I open the door up a crack, wincing at the sudden flood of light.

"Agent Sutton, come with me," Maria Hill's superior tone fills my ears. Of course it's her. She's never forgiven me for the sushi incident. Especially when it was her who was so majorly allergic.

I say nothing, but simply walk out the door, closing it carefully behind me.

Standing behind Hill, a decent distance away, is Zach. His hair is wet, like he just got out of the shower. Zach yawns, and then falls against the elevator button. His face afterwards, it's full of surprise, and tiredness.

All three of us climb into the elevator, and Hill pushes the landing button.

"What's happening?" I ask.

"We found a guy. He wants to talk to you."

"Why her? I mean, if it's Hydra, don't you guys shoot first, ask questions later," Zach half asks, half states. And it's true, Shield usually does shoot first, ask questions later. That's kind of standard procedure.

Hill shoots him a look and continues. "Techically, he asked for the little girl with the dead sister. -"

My turn for dirty look shooting.

"- So you're going to go in there and talk to him. Without shooting him."

Zach looks at me, then at Hill.

"So why am I here, moral support?"

Three more floors pass, then the doors open without another word between us.

There's a quinjet waiting for us on the landing pad.

Halfway there, Hill speaks without turning.

"That's not all you're here for, Stark."

Sitting in the interrogation room, excessively calmly, is one of Hydra's goons.

He appears to know when I walk in, because he smiles directly at me. Ugh, creep much?

As soon I'm ready to go in, mentally at least, Hill tells me to remove my knife belt. And then she sends Zach from the room with two agents.

"Are you out of your mind?! If I'm going in there, I want my friend on this side of the glass. And I really want my knife on my hip." I exclaim, trying to stay calm.

"Just get in there. And remember-"

"Don't give anything away. How stupid do you think I am, Hill?"

I know, I know, I should not have snapped at her like that, but I've got a right to be irritated.

I put my palm on the sensor pad and punch the nessisary clearance codes in. The door swoops open and as soon as I'm in, it swoops shut again.

"Hello," Creep-dude says.

I keep quiet and sit down across from him.

"You're a talkative one, aren't you, little girl?"

Creepy looks me over, then smiles.

"Did that hurt, when your sister died?"

"She wasn't my sister." I whisper.

"It looked like it hurt. You know, I was there," Creep states.

Creep is just trying to get a rise out of me. I know that, but the hairs on the back of my neck still rise up.

"What are you, a mind reader? Of course it hurt. Any moron with half a brain could see that. Of course, one of your goons had me almost overboard, so it could've just been that."

"My, what a spirited thing you are. But you'd have to be like that since you live with the Avengers."

Okay, so how does Hydra know so much about me?

Creep shifts forward. And smiles some more. Honestly, on him, it just looks like gas.

"Shield has you trained well. Like a pet, if you really think about it. Perhaps you'd come and join Hydra. And then you'd be my pet. Would you like that?"

Once, in a training session Clint was leading, a fellow agent called me Barton's pet. I didn't like it. So that agent went to the infirmary.

Yeah, so this guy... He'll be in the ocean if I have my way.

"Yeah, NO. Exactly how stupid do you think I am?" I spit, shoving back my chair.

"So I'll just have to train you with more pain. Perhaps your boyfriend's death will be a motivator. Or your family, as you call them-" At this point I tune Creep out, but that threat registers at a deeper level.

Creep reaches up and scratches his eye. In that moment, the blue of his iris shifts slightly to brown.

So I stand up and walk around the table.

Creep's still jabbering.

And I poke him in the eye.

"What are you doing, you -?"

I rip a blue contact lens out of one eye and reach for the other, but Creep takes it out himself.

"I'm done here," _and you're a sick twisted freak of nature. _

I walk out the door, and hand the contacts to a technician. The front is blue and eyeballish, but the back is cybernetic.

Not cool. Just. Not. Cool.


End file.
